Spotlight on gender equality heroes in Kosovo
Young photographers are honoured for work that showcases their gender equality heroes after a UN Women photo exhibit tours Kosovo* during the 16 Days of Activism.Date:
The winners of the nationwide photo exhibition Everyday Heroes and Heroines for Gender Equality were honoured at the close of Kosovo’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign.
Taken by young Kosovars aged 14 to 20 years old, the exhibition’s 16 photos depict the photographers’ gender equality heroes and heroines – role models, people who every day, in ways big and small, fight for a more equal Kosovo. Subjects include Kosovo’s only woman taxi driver, a father doing household chores, Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian girls fighting for their education, a handicapped rural woman, a tractor driver and a grandfather.
At the exhibition’s close, contest winners Elona Morina and Endrit Spahiu joined Nita Gojani from UN Women Kosovo office on the RTV21 show Bon Bon to receive their prizes and discuss the 16 Days of Activism campaign and the story behind their photos.
“My cousin, Ganimete Morina, is my gender equality heroine because she never gives up,” explained competition winner Ms. Elona Morina, 17, from Ratkoc village. “She’s a young rural woman in a wheelchair who’s now completing her Master’s. The rock in the background represents her incredible strength.”
Endrit Spahiu, 19, from Gjilan/Gnjilane won second prize for a portrait of a woman tractor driver: “I wanted my photo to say that we can all be equal and do anything we want. I wanted to show people that a positive change is possible in Kosovo, if we all work together.”
The exhibition began on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the first day of 16 Days of Activism, a global campaign to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world that concluded 10 December, on Human Rights Day. It was organized by UN Women Kosovo on behalf of the Security and Gender Group, a multi-stakeholder group composed of UN Agencies, OSCE and other international organizations, local and international NGOs, and Kosovo Institutions.
As the main government building in Pristina turned orange during 16 Days of Activism, members of the public and government officials toured the exhibit, discussing gender-based violence and the images with the photographers.
"I was very impressed with the photo of the woman with special needs, but the pictures are all unique," said Mr. Fehmi Hoxha, Director of Urbanism in Rahovec/Orahovac. “I congratulate all the participants for inspiring hope and for making a difference.”
Available online at www.16-days.com, the photos were also shown at street exhibitions in Gjilan, Gjakova, Pristina and Rahovec. In all, more than 6,000 people across Kosovo viewed the photographs, with many more reached via radio and TV interviews given by UN Women representatives and participating photographers. Voting was held both online and at the street exhibitions, after viewings.
All participants undertook a three-day UN Women training on gender equality, gender-based violence and photography before submitting their work. Participating photographers were drawn to the competition for different reasons, with some, like Abetare Syla, a 20-year-old art student, initially more interested in photography than gender equality.
“The training and discussions have inspired me to do more art on women’s rights and gender equality,” said Ms. Syla. “My talents can help create a more equal society.”
*All references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).